Method and installation for transporting goods, as well as a combination of a container and a wheel-supported frame for transporting goods.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for transporting goods, such as luggage at airports, wherein the goods are placed into containers, which are moved along conveyor tracks by driving means which directly engage the containers so as to move them.
The present invention will be explained in particular on the basis of the transport of passenger luggage at airports, but it will be understood that it can for example also be used for internal transport of goods, to and from shopping centres, for example via underground conveyor tracks and the.
2. Discussion of the Background
The transport of luggage at airports increasingly involves the use of containers, in each of which a suitcase or the like is placed. From EP-A-0802129 conveyor tracks are known, whereby driving means, consisting of endless belts, directly engage the undersides of the containers, so as to carry said containers along. From European patent application no. 0456297 it is for example known to place the separate containers on a conveyor belt so as to transport them. In such cases, only comparatively low carrying velocities of the containers can be realised.
Furthermore it is known to use containers which are fitted with wheels, as for example disclosed in European patent application no. 0659624. When such containers provided with running wheels are used, it is possible to realise considerably higher velocities for the containers than when devices are used in which the containers are moved by means of transport means or driving means which directly engage the containers.
Depending on the intended handling and on the routes along which luggage must be transported at airports, which routes are quite long in some cases, there is a need for conveyor tracks over which the luggage can be moved at a comparatively low velocity as well as for conveyor tracks over which the luggage is to be moved at the highest possible velocity. In addition, in many cases the luggage must be stored for a prolonged period of time at a predetermined station before it can be transported further, either in order to be delivered to the passenger or to be loaded into an aeroplane or the like. It is undesirable thereby to store expensive equipment together with the luggage, since it is not possible in that case to make an efficient use of said equipment.
The object of the invention is to realise a method of the above kind in the most economic possible manner.
According to the invention, this objective can be accomplished in that use is made of containers which can be removably placed on wheel-supported frames, and that the containers are either moved together with the frames over a conveyor track provided with driving means for driving the wheel-supported frames, or without said frames over a conveyor track provided with driving means which directly engage the containers so as to move them.
By using the method according to the invention it becomes possible to use only one type of container, which may or may not be connected to a wheel-supported frame, as desired, so as to move the containers and the goods that may be present therein quickly or slowly, as desired. When the luggage is to be stored for some time, the luggage-containing containers can be placed in a designated storage station without the wheel-supported frames, so that an optimum use of the wheel-supported frames can be realised. Also empty containers can be stored without the frames.
According to the invention, a suitable installation comprising at least one conveyor track provided with driving means for moving containers which are directly engaged by said driving means and destined for realising the above method is characterized in that guide installation comprises at least one conveyor track provided with guide rails and with driving means for moving wheel-supported frames along said guide rails.
An efficient combination of a container and a wheel-supported frame to be used thereby is characterized in that said frame and said container are provided with parts engaging each other, which are so arranged that a container supported on said frame can be pushed off the frame in upward direction and/or that a container can be placed onto said frame in downward direction.